Professional Reviews For This Wine

International Wine Cellar | Rating: 89?

($45) Deep ruby-red. Wild, meaty aromas of jammy berries, menthol and roasted herbs; distinctly Northern Rhone-like. Powerful verging on aggressive, with jammy dark fruit and shoe polish flavors and almost painful tannins. The crushed dark berry flavors turn a bit dry and edgy on the finish. Ultimately a wine of limited nuance, despite the tiny crop level. Mahle admitted that these vines, planted on volcanic rock, produced too much desiccated, high-alcohol fruit in the heat of 2004 (2002, 2003 and 2005 were more successful here) and that most of it was declassified.

Author: Stephen TanzerIssue: Issue 126

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About This Producer

Pax Mahle produced a wide selection of vineyard-designate Syrahs from Northern California under this label for many years before leaving to begin another project, Wind Gap. Under the Pax label, he utilized indigenous fermentations, minimal handling, unobtrusive use of French oak and bottling without filtering or fining. Great care was always taken in the vineyards to produce the best fruit possible by maintaining the vines on an individual basis and ensuring low yields. In addition to many Syrahs, Pax also produced several white wines including Roussanne, Viognier, and a white blend. In 2009, with the departure of Mahle, the brand was re-named Donelan Wines.